Ezra Jack Keats: A Bibliography and Catalogue (Book Illustrators) - Tapa dura

Born Jacob Ezra Katz in Brooklyn in 1916, Ezra Jack Keats is considered one of the nation's foremost children's-book authors and illustrators of the twentieth century. Long before multicultural themes and characters were fashionable, his works crossed social boundaries and brought the issue of urban blight to light in children's literature. An award-winning artist and writer, he left a legacy in the publishing world that few can ever equal.

This bibliography is, in a way, a pictorial biography of the work of the noted illustrator. It features paintings and illustrations beginning with Keats's early days as a comic-book illustrator through the Caldecott Award-winning A Snowy Day, and includes his many other graphic and book-illustration work. A superb stand-alone reference, this book also stands as an excellent companion to Ezra Jack Keats: Artist and Picture-Book Maker, also by Brian Alderson.

Brian Alderson is an international authority in the field of children's literature. His research interests lie in the history of children's books and of book illustration. He is editor and translator of a number of classic children's literary works, and for his contribution to the genre, he won the Eleanor Farjeon Award. As children's books editor for The Times of London, he is actively involved in the criticism of children's literature. He has lectured on children's literature at what is now the University of North London, where he became involved in the British Studies Program of the University of Southern Mississippi.

The University of Southern Mississippi's de Grummond Collection is the sole repository for the Ezra Jack Keats archive. Holdings include manuscripts, typescripts, sketches, dummies, illustrations, and proofs for 37 books written and/or illustrated by Keats. Also included are his personal papers, personal and professional correspondence, fan mail and artwork from children, photographs, and childhood memorabilia. Complementing the artwork created for children's books are numerous examples of his easel art, dating back to his high-school years.